2 (formerly 3) grown ups sharing a kitchen in inner city Melbourne. Both determined to eat very well for under $10/meal each. A place to share recipes, stories and cooking tips and, of course, to convert "meal in a box" believers and takeout food regulars

Monday, February 28, 2011

Once in a while the other tummy would ask for a simple piece of steak for dinner. I love such requests as I will need to spend very little time in the kitchen. One of our favourite condiments to go with a good piece of steak is of course salsa verde (green sauce in Italian). You may use any type of green herbs for the salsa verde but I personally like this particular combination. Don't be disappointed if you are not a beef lover as the sauce will go equally well with grilled chicken or fish. It's time to head home to cook our dinner, please come back tomorrow for my Malaysian Monday post.

serves 2 as a one dish mealyou'll need;
2 pieces of steak of your choice, excess fat trimmed
cherry tomatoes on the vine
a handful of green beans, topped and tailed
a handful of yellow beans, topped and tailed
salt and pepper
good olive oil

for the salsa verde;
half a bunch of continental parsley
half a bunch of basil
half a bunch of chives
4 anchovy fillets
1.5 tbs of capers
4 garlic cloves
1.5 tbs of English mustard
1.5 tbs of white wine vinegar
about 150 ml of good olive oil

Chop herbs, anchovy fillets, garlic and capers until well combined.

Place chopped ingredients in a bowl and add mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Place cherry tomatoes on the vine in a roasting dish, season well and drizzle with some good olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Grill steaks on a hot griddle or bbq to your liking, just not well done please! Be sure to rest the meat before serving.

Blanch beans briefly and drain well while the steaks are resting.

Serve steak with roasted tomatoes, beans and a generous spoonful of salsa verde.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

This is a dish that we both adore at the tummies' household. A popular Japanese yoshoku (western cuisine) dish that doesn't need much introduction. It is absolutely delicious and so simple to prepare, perfect on those days when one doesn't feel like doing too much in the kitchen. If you want a more substantial meal with rice why not try katsu don (crumbed cutlet rice bowl) instead? Use veal loin or chicken breast for an equally delicious halal version.

P.S A 3 week wait for the internet connection and I am looking forward to blog from the comfort of our home. Enjoy your Sunday and happy cooking!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Together with black pepper beef and sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken is one of the most bastardized Cantonese dishes in the western world. I am appalled by the thickly battered chicken swimming in a pool of gluggy fluorescent yellow sauce served at most Chinese restaurants here in Melbourne. This is my family recipe that I grew up with; no thick batter and certainly no gluggy yellow sauce here, instead there are golden pieces of chicken lightly glazed with a sweet and tart lemony sauce. Give it a try and you might be wondering why restaurants still insist on serving us that dumped down version?

I am again using my favourite chicken spareribs in this recipe, you can of course use any cut that suits your taste. For a similar recipe, check out my citrus chicken ribs.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

This is a Hakka (客家) classic with a 500 year old history; made popular in Malaysia by Hakka migrants and can now be found in every corner of our beautiful country. Yong Tau Fu (or niang tiaw fu in the Hakka dialet) meaning stuffed bean curd is often served alongside a selection of stuffed vegetables as well. The most commonly used vegetables are red and green chillies, eggplants, okras, bitter melon and Chinese mushrooms. They are many variations for the stuffing, sometimes salted fish, dried shrimps or dried cuttle fish is also added. I am using shop bought fish paste available from most Asian butchers, it can also be found at the frozen department of any good Asian grocer. Serve this as part of a Chinese meal or use them as toppings for noodles. Also do try it with some of the other vegetables mentioned above.

P.S A big thank you to my friend Shaz from Test With A Skewer for suggesting this very delicious dish when I was struggling to come up with something exciting for this week's Malaysian Monday.

For the stuffing - place fish paste and pork mince in a large bowl and mix well. Add seasonings and set aside.

To prepare the bean curd for stuffing - make a small cavity using a teaspoon, repeat the rest.

To prepare the eggplants for stuffing - make a cut lengthwise with one end still attached.

To prepare the chillies for stuffing - make a slit lengthwise and remove all membranes and seeds.

Stuff bean curd and vegetables using a butter knife.

Deep fry stuffed bean curd and vegetables in batches until golden and drain well. These can be use as toppings for noodles at this stage.

Saute garlic and ginger with a little oil for 30 seconds before adding the fermented bean paste. Continue to saute for a minute then add in the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 2 minutes and check for seasonings.

Arrange stuffed bean curd and vegetable neatly in the pan and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Thicken the sauce a little with corn flour solution just before serving.

Serve with plenty of steamed rice and chili sauce on the side.

I am hosting the March event so please send all your entries to sureshchong@yahoo.com. For more informations about MMM please click Here.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Again nothing ground breaking but just another one of our summer favourites. I have added grilled chicken to make it more substantial to serve at dinner, forgo the chicken if you want to serve it as a light lunch instead. This is one of those simple dish that can go horribly wrong; too much dressing, over cooked chicken and a badly made dressing can all turn this into a horrible nightmare!

I am making this a very short post as I have got my food shopping with me, please come back tomorrow for my Malaysian Monday post.

To prepare the dressing - Pound garlic and anchovy fillets to a paste. Place the paste in a bowl and slowly whisk in the eggs, dijon mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. Finally season with sea salt.

Grill chicken on a hot griddle for 5 minutes each side then finish off in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the breasts. Rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Drizzle some olive oil over the ciabatta pieces and toast until golden and crispy. Allow to cool.

Toss ciabatta and lettuce with 4 tbs of the dressing and divide into 2 equal portions.

Place the sliced chicken breast, crispy bacon, anchovy fillets and a poached egg over the dressed leaves. Season the poached egg, shave some parmesan cheese over and drizzle a little more dressing over.

Monday, February 21, 2011

This is one of our favourite salads during the hot summer months; quite often some quick seared tuna (never canned tuna :)) is used instead of the poached salmon. Although we haven't had too many hot days this summer but it hasn't stopped me from making this delicious and healthy dish either. I am being a little safe here with the choice of vegetables used but feel free to add whatever vegetable that is in season at the moment.

for the poaching liquor;
1.5 litres of water
1 sprig of fresh thyme
a few basil stalks
2 to 3 slices of lemon
6 pepper corns
pinch of sea salt

for the dressing;
150 ml of good olive oil
50 ml of white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the vegetables and boil the potatoes until tender.

Blanch beans and asparagus and refresh under a running tap.

Bring the poaching liquor to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes before adding the salmon fillets. Cook the fish on very low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, remove leave to cool before flaking into large pieces.

Place all ingredients (except for the eggs and salmon) into a large salad bowl and dress with half of the dressing.

Divide salad into 2 portions and top with the poached salmon pieces and eggs and serve with some homemade or good quality shop bought mayo.